Journal Writing Project Preparing for the future

Senior year is an intimidating time of a young person’s life. You are just starting to figure out what you really want to do with your life. Some people choose to go into the military or straight to work after high school, and others go to college. Whichever way you choose to go, it is intimidating to say the least.

Most of us high schoolers have only been working for a few years, and that’s just at small part-time jobs in between school and extracurricular activities. By the time senior year rolls around, most of us are accustomed to not always depending on our parents. The popular question I hear asked amongst students is, “What do you think it will be like to be on our own without our parents?” This is something no one can really give you an answer to. It’s one of those things that you have to experience it to understand it.

As a young person, I have the same questions as my fellow classmates. We all think about what we’re going to do with our lives. For those of us who are going to college, we’re expected to know what our majors are going to be. The next question is always what do you plan to do with that major? It really gets students to start thinking about how they can prepare themselves for the future.

For those of us who get to take Mr. Aaron Mensink’s Business Finance class, the first thing we learn is to save and do things the Dave Ramsey way. Other than saving, we think about what colleges we are going to go to, what our majors will be, and what jobs we want to have. Whether those careers be teachers or neurosurgeons, as long as we love our jobs, that’s all that really matters.

Here’s a message to the class of 2019: Do what you love. According to bls.gov, “In October 2017, 66.7% of 2017 high school graduates age 16 to 24 were enrolled in colleges or universities. Among persons age 20 to 29 who received a bachelor’s degree in 2017, 77.6% were employed. Among those age 20 to 29, unemployment rates for recent associate degree recipients, recent bachelor’s degree recipients, and recent advanced degree recipients were 5.6%, 8.3%, and 11.9% respectively.” If you look at the statistics, you can see getting at least your bachelor’s degree is worth the effort — for those of us going to college at least. This could be just what you need to get your first foot forward in planning the rest of your future.

If you are not going to college and decide to work right out of high school, more power to you. You are already a step ahead of everyone else. If you are one of the very brave men and women who go into the military, I thank you for your service to our country. No matter what direction you may take in life, it will lead you down a road to a success of your very own. As Marc Antony once said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Amara Nelson is a student at Fillmore Central High School. She is one of eight area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 20th year.